The fact that Brown is an assistant with the Spurs should come as no surprise by now. The Spurs have become the NBA’s premier team in terms of developing coaching and front office talent. The list of coaches and GMs who got their start with the Spurs includes names such as Tom Thibodeau, Mike Brown, George Karl, Danny Ferry, Sam Presti and newly-hired Atlanta Hawkshead coach Mike Budenholzer.

In discussing his hopes for the Hawks’ future, coach Budenhozer has continually referenced how he hopes to bring much of the “Spurs’ way” to Atlanta.

What exactly is this “Spurs’ way”? Well, the Spurs’ incredible consistency over the years has been no fluke, and much of this is due to team philosophy. On the court, the “Spurs’ way” manifests itself as a selfless, cohesive system that maximizes each individual’s abilities and focuses on defense and fundamentals.

By plugging forgotten players into their system, the Spurs have continued to develop useful role players that other teams had cut or who were never even drafted. By maximizing the talents of each individual player, the Spurs have continued to remain competitive for much longer than most expected.

The “Spurs’ way” also extends to the front office. Under the more restrictive new CBA, many small market teams have begun to realize that they cannot compete with the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers by trying to outspend them. So, the GM builds a competitive team through smart scouting, shrewd business decisions, the draft and by stashing overseas talent.

The “Spurs’ way” is the reason why San Antonio has continued to remain so successful over the past 15 years, and it is encouraging to see that many NBA franchises beginning to realize that.

Justin Brown covers the San Antonio Spurs and NBA in general for Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Real_JBrown, like him on Facebook, add him on Google